Ralph Griffin

Benjamin Funeral Service - Nowata, Oklahoma.....................................Ralph Bunyan Griffin age 79, a resident of Nowata, Oklahoma, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2015, at St John's Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ralph was born on March 24, 1936, to Van Buren Clifton Griffin and Roxie Ann (Holt) Griffin. He was born and raised at Copan, Oklahoma. Ralph's dream in life was to see the world. Immediately after his graduation from Copan High School in 1954 he joined the U.S. Navy, attending boot camp in San Diego. He spent the remainder of his four years of service aboard the U.S.S. Cabildo, LSD 16, with numerous ports of call throughout the Pacific including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, and Honolulu. Upon his discharge from the Navy, Ralph attended Coffeyville Junior College, then worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Later he attended Tulsa Technical College, and afterward worked for several years as a television repair man in Tulsa and Dallas. He began working for Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville in August of 1966, and then upon the formation of Applied Automation, Inc., was officially transferred to that unit as a chromatograph field service engineer. He traveled extensively throughout the United States and to approximately 30 foreign countries. He had walked a portion of the Great Wall in China; seen the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, seen Nagasaki, where the second A-Bomb was dropped; Mt. Fuji in Japan; the windmills of Holland and many more exciting and interesting places. On August 11, 1982, he married the love of his life, Judy Gail (Stanart-Carter). They lived in Bartlesville, and then in 1985 he was transferred and worked at Phillips Pipeline in Paola, Kansas. He retired in 1996, moving back to Bartlesville for a time, then to Nowata. He and his wife continued his longing to travel and have been to all 50 of the United States and throughout Canada. Mr. Griffin is survived by his wife, Judy, of the home; by two step-sons, Randy Lee Carter and his wife Jennifer, Rusty Lynn Carter and his wife, Charee, all of Nowata, as well as by eight grandchildren, Amber, Darrell, Randall, Courtney, Nicolas, Brandon, Ty and Chesnee; seven great-grandchildren, Rheagan, Adalyn, Della, Cash, Elliette, Allison and Davon. He is also survived by his sister Thelma Clayton and her husband, Hadwen of Bartlesville; by one sister-in-law, Greta Griffin; one brother-in-law, Calvin Lucas. He is remembered and survived by his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Adeline and Haris Lee Stanart, and a large number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Grace Lucas and Lavonne Stefanopoulos; two brothers, Earl (and his wife Norma), and Ray Griffin. Arrangements are under the direction of Benjamin Funeral Home, Nowata, Oklahoma. Ralph attended the First Baptist Church of Nowata, 433 North Mississippi. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday May 26 at the funeral home. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, at the First Baptist Church of Nowata with Pastor Wayne Clayton officiating. Interment will follow at the Winganon Cemetery, Winganon, Oklahoma. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Nowata. Online condolences may be left at www.honoringmemories.com

Visitation Details

Tuesday, May 26th, 2015 5:00pm - 9:00pm, Benjamin Funeral Home

Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 8:00am - 11:00am, Benjamin Funeral Home

Service Details

Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 2:00pm, First Baptist Church - Nowata

Interment Details

Winganon Cemetery